Drama Sequel Gets Green Light

A sequel to a 2013 miniseries that has been rumored for some time finally has the green light. Starz announced plans Tuesday for the limited series “The White Princess,” a sequel to its critically acclaimed “The White Queen.”

The project comes from Company Pictures.

“Adapted from Philippa Gregory’s best-selling novel of the same name and part of ‘The Cousins’ War’ book series, ‘The White Princess’ tells the story of England’s War of the Roses from the perspective of the women. The 8-episode limited series drama is currently in pre-production,” Starz announced.

Writer Emma Frost (“The White Queen,” “The Man in the High Castle,” “Shameless”) returns as showrunner and executive producer, with Gregory on board as executive producer for “The White Princess.”

“‘The White Princess’ concludes the story of England’s War of the Roses and charts the rise of the House of Tudor through the tortuous marriage between Princess Elizabeth of York and King Henry Tudor,” Starz says in its announcement. “The year is 1485 and Princess Elizabeth, daughter of ‘The White Queen,’ has been pledged in marriage to the newly anointed King Henry Tudor in hopes that it will bring peace to a war-torn country. England is united, but their marriage is soon divided, as rumors circulate that Elizabeth’s long-lost brother Prince Richard is alive and planning to take the throne.”

Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director for Starz, says in the announcement: “‘The White Queen’ was a phenomenal performer at Starz, averaging 4.8 million multiplatform viewers per episode in the United States. There is a dearth of programming that tells women’s stories and ‘The White Queen’ was embraced with great success by audiences worldwide. The passionate fanbase for Philippa Gregory’s historical novels [is] undeniable and we are confident ‘The White Princess’ will become the next must-see fandom drama series.”